By LESLIE FOTTRELL
Contributing Writer
The email’s subject line began ominously with the words “Mandatory Program.” It was sent by Dennis McDonald, vice president for student affairs and Title IX coordinator at The College of Saint Rose. The email notified undergraduate and graduate students that they must take an online class:Haven or Haven Plus, respectively. The Haven programs cover sexual assault, domestic and dating violence, healthy relationships, bystander intervention and stalking.
“Unfortunately, sexual violence, sexual assault and harassment, domestic and dating violence, and stalking occur on college campuses as they do in society in general,” said McDonald. “It is important that our students be aware of and educated about these topics so they know what to do should they experience any one of them, as well as how to be an active bystander should they see someone being victimized.”
The Haven programs are administered by an outside vendor, EverFi, a company which provides a variety of digital learning modules for K-12, higher education and corporate clients, according to its website everfi.com.
“This is our second year using the EverFi Haven program for undergraduate students and the first year using Haven Plus for graduate students,” said McDonald. “We have not used any other online program in the past.” McDonald said the entire program cost $8,600. This includes undergraduate and graduate students, as well as employees, who must also complete the program. “We get a summary report of all the data at the end.”
There are several federal laws, which apply to colleges receiving federal funding and which provide students various protections. Title IX of the Education Amendments of 1972 requires gender equity. The Jeanne Clery Disclosure of Campus Security Policy and Campus Crime Statistics Act of 1990, commonly known as the Clery Act, was named for Lehigh University freshman Jeanne Clery who was raped and murdered in her college dorm room in 1986. The Clery Act requires these colleges to keep and disclose information about crime on or near their campuses. The Violence Against Women Reauthorization Act of 2013 amendment to the Clery Act, clarifies and expands some rights of sexual assault and abuse survivors on college campuses.
“The Haven and Haven Plus programs cover all federal and state law requirements by providing education on the issues of sexual violence and assault, domestic and dating violence, and stalking,” said McDonald.
The continuing advocacy and resulting legislation — spanning more than four decades — have led to dialogue and action about these topics that formerly were not discussed much on college campuses and have also led to increased student rights.
Today many campuses including Saint Rose have blue light alert systems; RAVE mass alerts, by email to all students, and by text, which are sent to students who opt-in; readily accessible college-specific crime static information; and educational programs such as Haven. According to another email McDonald sent to students, the College has also instituted an anonymous hotline for reporting issues that the Haven training addresses as well as other potential violations of policy or law.
The Haven programs utilize text, photos and graphics, voice over, videos and includes interactive components such as pre- and post- quizzes, invitations to “click here for more” information. Vignettes portraying a wide variety of scenarios, and using diverse racial, ethnic, gender and sexual orientation perspectives are featured.
Part one of the Haven Plus program comprises seven sections, which take about an hour to complete and does not need to be completed in one setting. Part two takes about 15 minutes to complete. The Haven program for undergraduate students, takes longer. It can also be completed in multiple viewings.
Saint Rose sophomore Theresa Belfance likes the online aspect of Haven. “This way you can complete this program at your own pace and you can do this in the comfort of your room. This way, all of this information is not all thrown at you in a few hours in person, since this is such a heavy topic.” This is important for Belface, who is busy. In addition to majoring in childhood and special education, she is a resident assistant, campus tour guide, the director of community involvement for the Council for Exceptional Children and a member of Late Knight Programming.
Senior Rebecca Moyer is also an RA. Like Belfance, Moyer also likes the online aspect of the program and understands its importance. RA’s, she said, receive additional, in-person training. “This is my third year as an RA. Dennis McDonald and Steve Stella do a training every year. They talk to us about Title IX and the Clery Act. They go over the law and our responsibilities.” Saint Rose RAs are mandatory reporters, she said, meaning they must report incidents such as sexual assault or discrimination to their area coordinators.
McDonald said that there is in-person training at first year student orientation in addition to the online Haven programs.
Compliance with federal and state laws is not the only reason the program makes sense. “In our society, there are so many situations like the Haven program describes,” Belfance said in an email. “So it gives the students a little more perspective into what really happens and how to help people in these types of situations.”
What are the benefits of these programs? “Any program that increases knowledge about a potential health threat is beneficial to the overall health of its participants, this includes students as well as employees,” said the College’s Director of Health Services Sandra Frees in an email. “I particularly like the idea of defining healthy relationships as a way to keep the message positive as well as the topic of bystander intervention to empower students to make significant change.”
“It also educates on how to be present to someone who has been victimized, as well as the importance of reporting crimes when they occur,” said McDonald of the program. “All of us should be watching out for one another, making sure the everyone is safe in all situations.”
What could be changed to improve the programs? “The length of the program is inconvenient. Certain parts could be shortened and still get the point across,” said Moyer, who is also very busy. The mathematics adolescent education and special education major is in her fourth year of a five-year program, serves as president of the Student Events Board, vice president of Aftermath and is a math tutor in the Academic Success Center. “I feel that as campus leaders, most of us already know quite a bit about the topic. “ Moyer is pointed out that since RAs get extensive training and much of what is in the Haven programs is already covered in the training.
Students were required to have completed the first of the two-part programs part by Nov. 11, 2016. Students who missed the deadline should check their SPAM folders for the notification and send an email to Dennis McDonald at mcdonald@mail.strose.edu.
McDonald said there was a 95 percent completion rate, as reported by EverFi. Those students who missed the deadline will get a second opportunity to take the training next semester. McDonald will send out and email early in the spring 2017 semester the remaining five percent.
